AXA Ireland practices what they preach

Using a bike wheel to animate a portion of this ad, director and animator Hannah Jacobs takes the lead in this innovative spot for AXA Ireland’s community bike rides. 

Telling the story of Patrick, a young man stuck in a rut of regularity, The Joy of Cycling shows the fun and community that happens during a social bike ride. Short and sweet, the animation is bright, colorful, and bold. With an exceptionally creative and bold 2D animation techniques, the spot really showcases the illustration prowess of Jacobs and her team. 

Using an old pre-film animation machine, the zoetrope, as inspiration, the production team at Strange Beast affixed stills to a bike’s wheel and then filmed them. A delicate balance of art and machine, when filmed at the right speed, at the right distance, the animation appears, an iterative gif-like movement. Meant to depict the repetition of Patrick’s daily life, the animation bursts free of the rhythm when he joins a cycling club. 

The craft involved in this short is fascinating, and the Making-Of video below highlights the way that Jacobs handled the idea from conception to execution. The short itself is bright and fun, an excellent piece for AXA Ireland’s social initiative.